


Working Vacation

by Juli



Category: Diagnosis Murder
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-11
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 09:10:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12055803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juli/pseuds/Juli
Summary: While on vacation with Steve in Hawaii, Jesse needs to use his skill as a doctor.





	Working Vacation

The screams woke Steve. His eyes popped open and, for a moment, the detective was disoriented. He was on a beach and his groggy mind immediately identified it as California. Even as Steve jumped to his feet, though, he shook off the remnants of his nap and remembered where he was. Hawaii. Vacation. Jesse.

Jesse.

Realizing that the screams were coming from the water, Steve immediately left his lounge chair behind and ran towards the waves. Swimmers were fleeing the ocean, from the looks of it, locals as well as tourists. Some staggered and some ran, but all of them were looking over their shoulder.

Just about that moment, Steve realized that there was a recurring word in the screams and that word was ’shark.’

Working on instinct, Steve joined the life guards in helping those emerging from the water, handing them off to the people behind him. All the while, his eyes were searching the ocean for one particular person. Jesse, his lover, had gone surfing while Steve napped. The young man was hardly a novice, but was no match for a shark either.

Time seemed to stop until the moment that Steve saw a familiar blond-headed man. Wet, Jesse’s hair was slicked back like a seal rather than its normal mop, but it was definitely Jesse. The young man was on his surfboard on his belly, paddling for all he was worth… towards the source of the screams.

“Jess,’ Steve muttered under his breath. “What are you doing?”

It was a rhetorical question; Steve knew exactly what Jesse was doing. Not everyone was leaving the water at the same rapid speed, a small group was moving a lot slower and the screams that originated from that direction had a different quality to them. They contained pain as well as fear. As a doctor, Jesse would consider it his duty to offer aid, even at the risk of his own life.

Steve couldn’t let his lover take that risk alone. Never taking his eyes off Jesse in the distance, Steve started to wade into the water – only to be blocked by a life guard.

“Stay here, sir.” The young woman was short and young, but nonetheless brimming with authority. “We need you out of the water.”

“My partner’s out there,” Steve tried to move around her, but the life guard moved with him, continuing to block his way. “I’m a police officer, for God’s sake, I can help.”

“We’re experts at this; let us do our jobs.” She didn‘t mince words, either her personality or the urgency of the situation caused her to be blunt. “The best thing for you to do for your loved one is to stay out of the way; we don’t need more victims.”

Behind her, Steve could see that Jesse wasn’t the only one heading towards the distressed group. Lifeguards had fogged out of nowhere and were on their way to assist, including two that were riding jet skis. Growing up as he did at a beach house, Steve was a good swimmer, but had to admit that he wasn’t at the same level of skill as what he was witnessing.

The female lifeguard sensed that he was backing down and nodded at him. “I could use your help with the other people, though. The last thing we need is a panic.”

The next several minutes was crowd control, something Steve knew well and excelled at. He wasn’t dressed like a lifeguard, but he was big and could easily don an air of authority, even dressed in a t-shirt and swim trunks. Even though part of him was on autopilot, continuing to help swimmers out of the water while keeping the growing crowd back, the majority of Steve’s attention was on the ocean itself. The screaming had stopped, which almost had an ominous feel to it. The next that Steve looked, the group of distressed swimmers and lifeguard personnel were nearly to shore.

“Make room, folks, make room.”

The lifeguard that Steve was helping started pushing people back to make a clear spot on the sand. Steve helped her and by the time the last group from the water came in, they had enough room to work. In the distance, sirens wailed, quickly getting louder as they grew closer.

The first jet ski ran right up onto the sand and Steve was relieved to see Jesse hop off the back; he’d been riding behind the lifeguard piloting it. Jesse didn’t even look towards the beach, though. He immediately turned towards the second ski. It had come in slower and was towing a surf board. Steve recognized it as Jesse’s rental. On it was a pale young man, being supported by swimmers to either side. It took Steve a moment to realize that the young man’s left leg ended just above the knee.

“I need him flat with his leg elevated.” Jesse wasted no time barking out orders and the lifeguards scrambled to obey.

The young woman whom Steve had been helping gave him a confused glance and Steve grinned. Jesse’s baby face did not match the intense, professional attitude he was currently displaying. Jesse was normally a laid-back person, but when lives were at stake, he was implacably efficient.

“He’s an emergency room doctor,” Steve explained. He was flushed not only with relief for Jesse’s safety, but also pride in the younger man. “Trauma specialist.”

By that time, the paramedics had arrived and were scrambling down to the beach with a gurney. Jesse immediately commandeered them, establishing his credentials and giving orders that were quickly followed. In less time that Steve would have thought possible, the young victim was triaged and headed towards the ambulance. Only then did Jesse look around, obviously searching for Steve.

Steve stepped forward and put a hand on Jesse’s arm. When Jesse turned around, Steve just said one word. “Go.”

Jesse’s smile was tense, but relieved. Without a word, he hopped into the back of the ambulance.

After watching the vehicle with his lover drive away, Steve looked around to see what other aid he could offer. Another ambulance had arrived and the paramedics were helping those that looked to be suffering from shock. The lifeguards assisted and seemed to be comforting one family in particular. Steve figured it must be the victim’s family, especially since a uniformed policeman was also in attendance.

It was clear that there wasn’t anything more that Steve could do to help. He felt a little out of place, used to being an active part of a situation and not just a bystander. He collected Jesse’s surfboard from where it had been discarded in the sand. There was blood on it, so he took it to the waves and washed it off. The traces of blood sluiced away easily; Steve could only wish the rest of the situation would disappear just as quickly.

“Hey, thanks for your help.”

Steve turned to see the lifeguard from earlier. She was looking at him with a much friendlier expression than before.

“I didn’t do much,” Steve shrugged. “Your lifeguards were the real heroes.”

“And your partner,” she reminded him with a laugh.

“Him too.” Steve smiled sheepishly. He hadn’t wanted to sound too puffed about Jesse’s actions.

“My name is Kanani,” she held out a hand and Steve shook it gladly. “I’m sorry this had to mar your visit to Hawaii.”

Steve snorted. “That obvious I’m not a local, huh?”

She grinned. “Well, you’re not as pasty-faced as a lot of our tourists are, but you don’t wear your swimsuit like a second skin either.” She shrugged. “You get a feel for it.”

Living in a big tourist destination himself, Steve knew what she meant. “Does this happen often?”

The young woman stopped smiling. “Enough that we train for it, although we hope it never happens. I imagine that the beach will be closed for a few days while the marine guys try to find the shark that did it, but there are plenty of other beaches.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t let a shark attack scare us into heading back to the mainland early,” Steve declared. H fervently hoped, however, that Jesse was through surfing for the duration of their vacation.

After saying his goodbyes and getting directions to the hospital, Steve loaded up their rented Jeep and headed out. Once on the road, Steve dug out his phone. At the moment, he really wanted to talk to Jess, but that wasn’t an option. Thankfully, Steve had someone else he could turn to that would be almost as good. He was incredibly grateful when the call was picked up immediately after the first ring. “Hey, Dad.”

“Steve?” His father knew him too well and picked up on Steve’s tone, even from just two words having been spoken. “What’s the matter? Is Jesse all right?”

The question made Steve smile. Steve might be Mark Sloan’s son, but Jesse was a close second in Mark’s heart – and far more likely to get into trouble than Steve was. In no way did he feel jealous of his father‘s concern for the other man; he typically needed all the help he could get looking out for Jess.

“He’s fine; we’re both fine.” Steve was quick to reassure his father. “But Jesse was surfing at the same beach where there was a shark attack. He triaged the victim and is on the way to the hospital with him.”

“Oh, no.” His father’s voice sounded sad. “Did you get a look at the injured person?”

Steve knew his dad wasn’t asking out of morbid curiosity. He just wanted to know what kind of challenge that Jesse had faced.

“It was a young man. A kid, really.” Steve swallowed hard, remembering. “The shark took half his leg off.”

“Above the knee or below?”

Steve thought about it a moment. “Above. That’s not good, is it?”

His dad sighed before answering. “It’s not optimal. It’s more likely for a femoral artery to be involved in a thigh wound. If that happened, even with Jesse providing care at the scene, the victim might have lost too much blood, too quickly.”

“Damn,” Steve said softly.

“I may be jumping to conclusions, Steve,” his father warned him. “Don’t give up on that young man yet – and don’t give up on Jesse, either. Just. . . . be prepared to help Jesse through, if the worst happens.” 

“Will do, Dad.” Steve promised. He’d comforted Jesse after the loss of a patient before, although his father and their friend, Amanda, usually contributed too. “I’ll let you know what happens. . . if it’s not too late in the day, that is.”

“You call me no matter what time it is,” his father stated firmly. “And give Jesse my best and tell him that I’m glad he’s okay.”

Steve smiled. Talking to his dad always made him feel better. “Yes, sir.”

The conversation hadn’t exactly lifted Steve’s mood, but it did help him feel more capable to help Jesse through a potentially difficult situation. By the time he reached the hospital, Steve was in a much better frame of mind. 

“Can I help you?” A woman about his own age sat behind an information desk located in the hospital’s lobby area.

“A shark attack victim was brought in a few minutes ago,” Steve told her. “Who would I talk to about getting more information?

Her face fell, obviously she was already familiar with the case. “Are you family?”

“No.” Steve waved his hands to reinforce the negative. “And I know the privacy laws, there’s not a lot you can tell me. It’s just that my partner is a doctor and treated the kid on the beach. I just want to know where to wait for him.”

“Ah,” she pointed to area situated on the left. “The waiting room is right there.”

Steve thanked her and got out of the way, as there was a couple with a small child waiting behind him. It was a large space, with seating arranged in groups, allowing a little privacy for each set of people waiting. Every person there had a tense look on their face. Steve felt out of place; he didn’t have a personal stake with a hospital patient and felt a little guilty. 

A few minutes after Steve’s arrival, a police officer escorted a group of visibly distraught people in. Steve recognized them from the beach; it was the shark victim’s family. He was very glad to see the receptionist get up from her desk and guide them away from the lobby. Hopefully there was a more private area that they could wait for news of their loved one.

Waiting was a skill that Steve had developed over the years. Despite popular movies and television shows, most detective work involved far more drudgery like waiting than intense car chases or emotional interrogation scenes. He didn’t like it, but Steve could handle hanging out in the waiting room for a few hours. With a sigh, Steve picked up the nearest magazine and settled in to the chair as best he could. He quickly discovered that, California or Hawaii, hospital waiting rooms were universal – they were full of old magazines; uncomfortable chairs; and, from the smell coming from a small kitchenette, stale coffee.

As the time went by, Steve discovered that the coffee was indeed as stale as it smelled. He had gotten up and moved locations a couple of times, more to ease his aching muscles than anything else. He was always careful to keep the inner door in sight, though, the one that led from inside the trauma area itself. 

Eventually, his patience was rewarded. Steve caught movement out of the corner of his eye and, turning, he saw the welcome sight of a familiar mop of blond hair. Jesse was peeking in the doorway and when he realized that Steve had seen him, he smiled tiredly and pulled back out. Steve relinquished his chair gladly and moved to follow.

The detective stepped into the corridor and almost immediately had his arms full. He automatically pulled Jesse close and Steve dipped his face down until his nose was buried in Jesse’s hair. The young man smelled of ocean and antiseptic; a combination that made Steve sneeze.

“Bless you,” Jesse laughed softly, but it wasn’t the joyful sound it usually was. 

“Thanks,” Steve’s lips brushed against Jesse’s temple. “I didn’t know how much I needed to hold you until I saw you standing there.” 

Jesse pressed close. “Me too.”

The two men stood quietly, just soaking up each other’s presence. Finally, though, Jesse sighed and relaxed a little.

“Better?” Steve asked, loosening his grip, but still keeping the younger man in the circle of his arms.

“Yeah.” Jesse bit his lip. “He’s in surgery.”

Steve was surprised. He was no doctor, but had been around one his entire life, not to mention his exposure to traumatic injuries thanks to being a cop. Given what he’d seen of the wound, Steve hadn’t thought the victim would survive long enough for surgery to be option. 

“That’s good,” he said carefully. Jesse seemed unusually fragile, even though as an ER doc he was experienced in dealing with patients in life and death situations. “He’s got a fighting chance, thanks to you.” 

Jesse didn’t answer him, just leaned in to Steve as though seeking support. The reaction worried the older man. “Jess, you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Jesse’s tone was overly bright as he gave one last squeeze and then pulled away from Steve’s embrace. “The local team’s taken over and they have a lot more experience with shark bites than I do. Let’s go; the last thing I wanted to do on this vacation was hang out at a hospital.”

The switch in mood felt as wrong as it was abrupt. “You sure? What about your patient?”

“Not my patient anymore,” Jesse grabbed Steve’s hand and headed towards the door, pulling the larger detective along with him. “Besides, they have my number and said they’d keep me updated.”

Steve planted his feet. No matter how enthusiastic one Dr. Jesse Travis might be, if Steve didn’t want to be moved, he didn’t move. Period. “Jess. . . .”

Jesse’s shoulders sagged when he heard the concern in Steve’s voice and he turned back to him. “I’m all right, really. I just wasn’t expecting having to be a doctor on our trip.” His smile was tinged with sadness. “Stupid, huh?”

Steve put one hand on each of Jesse’s shoulders. “Not stupid, you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t want a break. The important thing was that you stepped up when you were needed.” He shook the younger man lightly. “Although you about gave me a heart attack, paddling out where you knew there was a shark.”

Jesse snorted. “As if you wouldn’t have been doing the same thing if you’d been in the water when it happened.”

Remembering how he’d tried to do just that once he realized what was going on, Steve didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to; Jesse knew him all too well. 

“Yeah, I thought so,” Jesse retorted. “Look, could we just forget about what happened for a while?” 

He knew it wasn’t that simple, but Steve nodded about it anyway. “What do you want to do?”

“Food,” Jesse replied promptly. “I’m starving but first I’d like to go back to the hotel for a change of clothes.” He picked at the shirt of his borrowed scrubs. “These are so not what I want to be wearing on my vacation.

Steve smiled fondly at him. “I think that can be arranged, come on.”

He modified his hold on the shorter man, dropping one arm all together and shifting the grip on the other so it was circling Jesse’s waist. With a soft pressure, Steve guided them towards the door, only to be stymied by one of the hospital’s staff members.

“Dr. Travis!” 

A woman dressed in scrubs hurried towards them, brandishing a plastic bag. “I’m glad I caught you; laundry got done with your swimming suit. Wouldn’t want you to have to finish your vacation without it. You can buy suits here, but it’s expensive.”

Jesse’s answering smile was a little wan for Steve’s peace of mind. “Thanks, Nohea, I appreciate that.” He quickly moved to introduce her Steve. “This is Nohea, one of the nurses in the ER; she’s been looking out for me. Nohea, this is the guy I was telling you about, Steve Sloan.”

“It’s the least we could do,” the newcomer’s face turned serious. “That boy has a chance, thanks to you.” 

Her compliment only elicited a shrug from Jesse. “I don’t know about that, he’s not out of the woods yet.” 

“Maybe not,” Nohea countered, her support instantly endearing her to Steve. “But he made it to surgery and that had a lot to do with what you did at the beach.” Her smile was sad. “And if nothing else, he rallied enough to regain consciousness and see his family before surgery; that’s not a little thing.” She leaned forward before Jesse could respond. “And if you think otherwise, just ask his mother.”

Jesse looked like he was going to protest, but thought better of it and gave her a half-hearted smile. “Thanks. . . and not just for the suit.”

“You’re welcome.” She turned to leave. “I hope you get to enjoy the rest of your vacation.”

The two men watched as she walked down the corridor. Their silence was an awkward one and Steve hated it.

“That was nice of them,” Steve finally said, just to break that uncomfortable quiet. “To launder your trunks.”

“Yeah,” Jesse leaned towards him and Steve used that opportunity to turn his lover towards the door again. “Everyone in Hawaii is so friendly.”

“Not that lady in the restaurant parking lot the other night,” Steve reminded him, hoping to lighten the mood. “Remember that gesture she used?”

Jesse chuckled. “Remember the cuss words she used? But from the way she sounded, I don’t think she was a local.”

When they got outside, Steve was mildly surprised to see that the sun was starting to set. He glanced at his watch; they’d been at the hospital longer than he realized. With that knowledge came the awareness that he was tired; they’d been at the beach for most of the day before the shark attack. Steve knew that if he were tired, and all he’d done the last few hours was sit in a waiting room, then Jesse must be exhausted.

“How about room service tonight?” He suggested. 

Jesse’s smile was tired as he looked up at Steve gratefully. “Sounds awesome.”

They got to the Jeep and Steve reluctantly let go of the younger man. He stayed close as Jesse got into the passenger’s side of the vehicle and knew from the fond roll of the eyes he got that he was hovering. Still, after getting seated, Jesse leaned forward and kissed Steve sweetly, so his attention wasn’t totally unwelcome.

Neither man felt the need to fill the drive time with conversation so it was a quiet trip back to the hotel. Once there, Steve halfway expected Jesse to have fallen asleep, but the younger man was awake, if barely. They made their way to their room as quickly as their exhaustion would allow. Once there, Jesse blinked as he looked around owlishly. He was too adorable to resist, so Steve didn’t even try. He pulled the younger man to him and kissed him briefly before letting go.

“You take a shower and I’ll order the food,” Steve instructed, giving Jesse a gentle push towards the bathroom. Jesse had no doubt scrubbed his arms while working with the doctors at the ER, but if the scent of his hair was any indication, he hadn’t the chance to do a more thorough cleaning. Steve well knew how irritating the salt from the ocean water could be when it dried on the skin.

Jesse ran a hand through his hair and winced. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Something light, okay? I’m not very hungry anymore.”

Somewhere between the hospital and the drive to the hotel, Jesse had lost his appetite. That was not a good sign.

As soon as Jesse started shuffling towards the bathroom, Steve went into action. Knowing that it would take time to arrive, he had the room service menu out before his lover shut the bathroom door. Like Jesse, Steve was no longer particularly hungry, but had a feeling that would change once he smelled food. With that in mind, he ordered burgers for them both, wanting to keep it simple.

After the food was ordered, Steve rummaged through their bags and got out something clean for each of them to wear. He didn’t bother with street clothes and went straight for the lightweight knit sleep pants and shirts they’d both brought for lounging around the room. Outdoors, Hawaii was warm, but just like Los Angeles, indoors the air conditioning was cool enough to warrant the long pants and a t-shirt. 

Steve opened the bathroom door and just set the folded clothing inside without saying anything to his lover. Jesse was already in the shower and Steve couldn’t see much through the opaque curtain, just that Jesse wasn’t moving around much. No doubt the younger man was enjoying the relaxing effects of the warm water and, knowing how much Jesse needed it, Steve didn’t want to interrupt. He closed the door softly behind him. 

Chores done, Steve was at loose ends. He thought about turning the TV on for some background noise, but just as quickly nixed that idea. The last thing that they needed was to happen across a news story about the shark attack. Thankfully, the phone in his pocket buzzed, making the decision for him. Steve pulled it out and smiled when he looked at the screen. His father had excellent timing.

“Hey, Dad,” Steve said when he answered the call. 

“Oh, good,” the smile in his father’s voice came through loud and clear. “Jesse’s patient survived.”

Steve settled himself in the almost comfortable hotel sofa. Just as earlier, it hadn’t taken much for Mark Sloan to correctly read a situation based solely on his son’s tone of voice. “For the moment, anyway. He’s in surgery.”

“It’s a good sign that he’s made it that far,” his father stated. “And how’s Jesse doing? Have you seen him?”

His father thought they were still at the hospital, which was a little reassuring. There were limits, it appeared, to Mark Sloan’s detecting abilities. 

“Yeah, we’re back at the hotel and he’s in the shower right now,” Steve informed his dad. From the way he’d heard the water shut off, though, Jesse wouldn’t be in there much longer. “He didn’t want to stick around, said the hospital would call him with an update.”

“Oh.” 

Apparently Steve knew his dad just as well as his father knew him. He could hear a world of concern in that one syllable. “That’s not like him, Dad. I’m worried.” 

His father made a sigh that was audible even through the telephone. “Jesse’s a very compassionate young man, but as a doctor, sometimes you have to put up internal walls to be able to handle some of the bad things your patients go through. I’m guessing that Jesse brought those walls down while he was on vacation.” 

Steve knew exactly what his dad was referring to. As a cop, he has some formidable emotional walls himself and, yes, now that he thought about it, they’d been down while in Hawaii. No doubt had he wandered into a robbery or other violent situation while on their trip, he’d be struggling to deal with it too. 

“Jesse let himself be vulnerable,” Steve filled in what his father hadn’t said. “That’s why this one’s hitting him so hard.” 

“Exactly.” 

There was just enough noise coming from the bathroom to let Steve know that Jesse was busy drying off and getting dressed. Steve had only a few moments until he came out of the bathroom and Steve’s conversation with his father would no longer be private.. “So how do I help him?” 

“Just do what you do best, Steve, love him.” His father’s answer was quick and confident. “Be there for him and let him know you support him no matter what. Jesse thrives on that, especially from you.”

“Loving him?” Steve grinned broadly, despite his worry. “That part’s easy, Dad.”

“What’s easy?” 

Steve turned his attention from the television. Jesse was standing in the bathroom’s open door, face still flushed from his shower. From the looks of his hair, he’d simply toweled it instead of using a blow dryer and it made him look even younger.

“Loving you,” Steve answered readily before holding out the phone. “You want to talk to Dad?”

“Sure,” Jesse didn’t hesitate and Steve was glad. Based on the way he’d behaved since the hospital, the young man clearly needed all of the support he could get and Steve was relieved that Jesse was willing to accept it.  
Steve stood up as Jesse approached, gladly relinquishing his chair. The two men exchanged a brief kiss as they passed, but either from the mood or the fact of who was on the other end of the phone, it didn’t deepen any further than that. Steve gladly handed over the phone and grabbed his own change of clothes.

“Hi, Mark.” 

Jesse’s greeting lacked its normal perkiness and Steve sighed as he closed the bathroom door. Unlike his lover, he took his time with his shower, wanting to give Jesse as much privacy as he could for the conversation. Mark Sloan wasn’t just a father figure to Jesse, he was a professional mentor and Steve knew his father might be able to advise the young doctor better than he could.

The hot water relaxed muscles stiff from being cramped in those uncomfortable waiting room chairs, but Steve didn’t linger. Room service was notoriously slow, but he didn’t want Jesse to have to deal with it if their meal arrived before Steve was done. Not tonight. He rinsed off and took Jesse’s lead, not doing anything with his hair beyond running a comb through it. 

When Steve came back to the room, Jesse was standing on the balcony, looking at the paradise spread out below. Their room overlooked the ocean and the waves could be heard lapping against the sand. Not wanting to break the spell, Steve came up behind Jesse and gently put his arms around the younger man’s waist. Jesse immediately leaned back into Steve’s shower-fresh warmth.

“You have a nice talk with Dad?” Steve prompted when Jesse didn’t seem inclined to start a conversation. 

“Yeah,” Jesse tilted his head up and Steve gladly kissed him. 

Before the kiss was finished, or Steve could ask Jesse any questions, there was a knock on their door. “Room Service.”

“Hold that thought,” Steve squeezed Jesse tightly before letting go and going over to let the hotel staff member in. It didn’t take long for the young man to bring in the tray and for Steve to sign for the meals. Soon enough they were alone again.

“Burgers?” Jesse said as he removed the cloches from the plates. He gave Steve a small smile. “I guess I’m glad it’s not fish, huh?”

It was a small joke and in questionable taste, but Steve admired the courage behind it.

“100% land-loving beef,” Steve answered, smiling back. “I think it’s going to be a while before I consider eating anything that lives in the water.”

Supper was a quiet affair. At first, Steve thought Jesse wouldn’t be able to eat, but as predicted earlier, once the younger man took a solid bite, his appetite came back and he plowed through the meal. It was no wonder. Jesse’d had a full afternoon of surfing before the shark attack; he had to be starving.

Once his plate was clean, Jesse looked almost confused. “I guess I was hungry?”

Steve gestured at his own empty plate. “You and me both.”

“It was a good burger,” Jesse added.

“That it was,” Steve agreed.

Steve wasn’t sure how the conversation had gotten so awkward, but he was determined to fix it. “Look, it’s been a long day. I hope you don’t mind, but all I really want to do right now is go to bed and grab some sleep.”

The relief on Jesse’s face made it clear that Steve had made the right move. “That sounds like a really great idea.”

It didn’t take long to put action to words. Once the room service tray was left outside their door and the lights adjusted for sleeping, Steve was stretched out on the bed, with Jesse curled up next to him, his head on Steve’s chest.

“I hpe you don’t mind me holding you a little closer tonight,” Steve warned. “Those few minutes after hearing there was a shark in the water where you surfing, before I saw you. . . .”

“I was too pumped with adrenaline to be scared,” Jesse admitted. “But now’s a different story.”

“Wanna bet on who has as the first nightmare tonight?” Steve tried to lighten the mood and it almost worked. Jesse smiled, but there was no real humor in it.

“Good thing we’ve got each other,” Jesse patted Steve’s chest. “But I think I’ve got the better end of the deal.”

“Says you,” Steve grumbled. It was an old argument. “Go to sleep, Jess. It’ll be better in the morning.”

Unfortunately, morning came earlier than either of them expected

Jesse’s phone vibrated well before dawn with an incoming text. Both men were in professions that required the ability to wake quickly and completely, so Steve was wide awake by the time Jesse reached his phone to read the message.

Steve could tell by the way that Jesse’s shoulders relaxed that it was good news.

“The kid made it?” Steve guessed.

“He survived the surgery,” Jesse put the phone down and curled up against Steve again. “He’s got a long way to go.”

“But remember what Nohea said,” Steve reminded him. “You’ve given him a chance.”

“Yeah,” Jesse turned his face up and Steve gladly kissed him. “Could we just go back to sleep now? I’m not in the mood to talk about it.”

“Whatever you need, babe.”

Over the next few days of their vacation, the two men were busy with activities. They visited the Volcano National Park, rode a zip line, and saw the petroglyphs. Of course, there was a lot of beach time too, but it didn’t include surfing. Jesse, uncharacteristically, didn’t even bring it up.

For their last full day on the island, the couple had agreed to take it easy as a way to ease back into the idea of going home. As they were getting ready to leave their hotel room for a day of laying on the beach, however, Jesse got a text.

“The hospital again?” Steve asked after Jesse got a chance to read it. They’d been updating Jesse on the shark victim’s progress. As they had, Jesse had also gotten more information about the young man. As it turned out, he was only 15, was from the gulf coast of Texas, and was named Dylan.

“Yeah,” Jesse looked a little uncomfortable. “They know we’re leaving tomorrow and Dylan’s parents would like us to come by so they can say thank you in person.”

“That’s nice.” Steve couldn’t understand why Jesse was hesitating.

Jesse sighed. “I’d like to see how he’s doing, but I don’t want anyone acting like I’m a hero, either.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “You swam into water where you knew a shark was, triaged a kid on a surfboard and kept him alive long enough to get him to a hospital. I’d say that was pretty heroic.”

“Not like the stuff you do,” Jesse set his jaw. He was overall a good-natured man, but had a stubborn streak.

“No, it’s not like the stuff I do as a police officer,” Steve answered, his easy agreement causing Jesse to narrow his eyes in suspicion. “It’s better.”

There was a short glare standoff, but then Jesse smiled, if sheepishly. “Look, I don’t want to argue about who’s braver.”

“Me neither.”

“I would, though, like to go see Dylan,” Jesse admitted. “I’d like to see for myself how’s he’s doing and, besides, I’ve never treated a shark bite victim before.”

“Let’s stop by this morning on our way to the beach,” Steve suggested. As torn as Jesse looked about wanting to go, Steve figured it was best to get it out of the way quickly.

Jesse’s responding smile was a little wan, but genuine. “Sounds like a great idea, thanks.”

After a late breakfast, the couple headed to the hospital, where they found Dylan looking much improved. Steve felt for the kid; it would be hard to lose a leg at such a young age. The visit itself was everything that Steve hoped for; Jesse got the stuffing hugged out of him by Dylan’s very grateful mother and his hand enthusiastically shook by the teen’s father. It was nice to see strangers reinforcing what Steve had tried to tell Jesse earlier – what he’d done for Dylan was remarkable. Maybe if enough people told Jesse, Jesse would finally believe it.

They didn’t stay long, since Dylan still wasn’t feeling well and they didn’t want intrude on the family. Jesse was quiet all the way back to the Jeep.

“I can hear you thinking from here,” Steve said after he’d gotten into the Jeep, but before he’d started the vehicle. “What’s bothering you?”

“You’re not going to like it,” Jesse warned.

Those were not comforting words.

“Try me,” Steve suggested.

“When we go to the beach, I want to surf,” Jesse said. “What happened to Dylan was awful, but I’m not going to let it chase me from a sport I love.”

Jesse was right; Steve didn’t like it, but then, he didn’t have to. Steve was an admittedly protective lover, but he liked to think that he wasn’t a controlling one.

“Okay,” he said as he started the Jeep and guided it out of the parking lot.

Jesse looked at him in surprise. “’Okay’? That’s it?”

Steve shrugged. “You’re an adult, Jess, you don’t need my permission.” He took his eyes away from the road long enough to glance Jesse’s way. The younger man still had a suspicious expression on his face. “Won’t stop me from worrying, though. Not after what happened last time.”

Jesse’s expression softened. “I know, but it’s something I have to do.”

“I understand,” Steve said. “Just be patient with me, okay?”

“I can do that,” Jesse leaned over as far as the seat belt would allow and quickly kissed the side of Steve’s jaw. “Thanks.”

Once at the beach, Steve rented a surf board right alongside Jesse. He wasn’t as avid a fan of the sport as Jesse was, but he was known to catch a wave or two of his own. He’d grown up in a California beach house, after all.

“You feel the sudden urge to surf now, huh?” Jesse teased as they picked out a spot on the sand to claim as their own. “You had no interest the other time I surfed.”

“What can I say? You can’t go to Hawaii without surfing at least once,” Steve tried to explain.

“Riiiiiight,” Jesse laughed. “And protecting me from Jaws has nothing to do with it.”

Steve smiled sheepishly. “Maybe a little.”

Jesse tugged off his shirt and tossed it onto his towel. “I love to surf with you, but this first run, I’d like to go by myself.”

Again, Steve didn’t like it, but he understood and was proud of Jesse for insisting. It would take a lot of guts to get back in the water after having been close to a shark attack. That Jesse wanted to do it without Steve’s support spoke volumes about his character.

“All right, but I get the next one,” Steve agreed.

“You got it, babe,” Jesse stretched up for a kiss and then grabbed his board.

Steve watched as his lover jogged towards over the sand towards the water. Jesse’s blond hair shone like a beacon in the bright Hawaiian sun. To Jesse’s credit, he didn’t hesitate even a moment as he entered the water. Soon, the young man was paddling through waves, heading out deeper in the hopes of catching a decent wave.

Despite his best efforts, Steve lost track of Jesse for several minutes. The beach was just too flat to see clearly the part of the water where the big waves started. He took comfort in both Jesse’s skill and in the fact that there was no terrified screaming. In the unlikely event there was another shark, Steve would probably hear the beach goers’ reactions before he saw anything.

Even with his internal reassurances, Steve couldn’t help but be tense. After what seemed far too long, but couldn’t have been even ten minutes, he saw a familiar form as Jesse expertly rode a wave in. Steve’s grin broke out over his face as he heard Jesse’s whoop of joy carry across the water.

Steve stabbed his rented board into the sand right at the water’s edge and waited for Jesse to come all the way in. When he did, Steve greeted him with an enthusiastic kiss.

“That was beautiful!” Jesse exclaimed as they broke apart. His face glowed with happiness.

“Yes, it certainly is,” Steve lovingly stroked his hand against Jesse’s cheek, tucking an errant strand of wet hair behind Jesse’s ear. 

From Jesse’s blush, it was clear that he knew that Steve wasn’t referring to Jesse’s wave.

“Come on, you’ve got to try it,” Jesse pulled at Steve’s arm. “The surfing is fantastic.”

Steve grabbed his board and followed Jesse out into the waves. Jesse’s enthusiasm was contagious and Steve was very glad that their trip was ending on a high note. It would be hard to leave paradise tomorrow, but Steve knew he was lucky.

As long as Steve had Jesse, had his own paradise no matter where he went.

~the end~


End file.
